The realities of non-scholarship student-athletes

Six students share ways they balance athletics and rigorous academics.

Thirty-four percent of McMinnville campus students participate in NCAA Division III intercollegiate athletics. None of them receive athletic scholarships.

Follow a NCAA Division III student-athlete, and you’ll find early-morning workouts, intense fitness routines and a commitment to nutrition. But you won’t find athletic scholarships. DIII prohibits athletic scholarships which means athletes are truly students first, and must balance academics and athletics — no easy feat.

The life of a student-athlete could be overwhelming. How can someone juggle practices, workouts, readings, assignments, projects, studying and other activities?

Enter Ashlyn Edmondo, Brendan O’Brien, Jade Everage, Kaelia Neal, Liam Pickhardt and Marquis Perrilliat. If they all played the same sport, they’d be a DIII dream team.

Between their sports, demanding majors and outside activities, these six are proof that being a DIII student-athlete is possible with a little focus on time management, organization and prioritization.

All eyes on the calendar

Kaelia Neal, a mass communication major and sport management minor, is on the cross country and track and field teams. The competition schedule, along with her duties as editor-in-chief of the Linfield Review student newspaper, Senior Committee member and a work study student, requires wise time management.

Neal rarely misses a commitment, thanks to a well-organized calendar and system of notes.

“I try to stay as organized as possible by writing the same events and assignments on my calendar and my notes so I have multiple reminders,” says Neal. “Though prioritization can be a useful tool, I rarely miss one of my activities for another. School, the Linfield Review and running are equally important to me, and I think that shows by my commitment to all of them.”

Marquis Perrilliat, a psychology major and religious studies minor, plays football and uses similar tactics to ensure that everything is getting done. Hanging his syllabi and calendar above his desk allows Perrilliat to stay on track and juggle his work load on and off the field.

“During football season, exams and due dates can creep up on you if you don’t keep track of your time,” says Perrilliat. “There isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t see my calendar. It works as a mental reminder of what’s to come.”

Perrilliat is always on-task, thanks to a calendar and his course syllabi that hang above his desk.

Working ahead

Ashlyn Edmondo, an exercise science major and political science minor, and a member of the Linfield women’s swim team, attributes her success to her tendency to work ahead. Between practices, meets, as well as two work-study jobs and frequent volunteer commitments, Edmondo has had to develop a successful work ethic.

Edmondo (left) stays ahead of her work in order to focus on competition.

“I try to make sure I am doing my assignments early so I don’t stay up too late because of my early morning practices,” says Edmondo, who swam competitively in middle and high school. “I missed a lot of school for competitions, so I understand the importance of getting things done early and with enough time to not make me stressed.”

Communication is key

Everage applied knowledge gained from her major when communicating with her coaches and professors.

Being a successful student-athlete also requires effective communication with coaches and professors. Jade Everage, a communication arts major and sociology minor, uses the skills she has learned in her major to continually communicate with others. Everage is a part of the Linfield basketball team, the president of Black Student Union, a marketing development intern at Lutheran Community Services Northwest, a performer at the McMinnville Gallery Theater and a Diversity Advisory Committee student representative.

“My skill in communication allowed me to balance everything by talking to my coach in order to determine which practices I may miss or be late to in addition to scheduling meetings around basketball practices,” says Everage. “All in all, communication has been key for me when balancing my life at Linfield.”

Brendan O’Brien, a member of the Linfield baseball team and a finance major, also leans on good communication skills.

“The main way I’ve managed school work with baseball is by communicating with my professors,” says O’Brien. “As long as they understand my situation and I reach out to them before I miss any classes, we can always find a solution together.”

Taking advantage of travel time

Being a student-athlete not only involves practices and games, but also requires extensive travel for away games. Between long bus rides and flights, student-athletes spend a lot of time on-the-go.

Liam Pickhardt, a mass communication and business marketing double major, is a three-season student-athlete (cross country, indoor track and outdoor track). Pickhardt has his hands full with year-long athletic commitments in addition to being a residence advisor, working for the athletic department and serving on the Student Athlete Advisory Board. His keys to success are adequate sleep and nutrition, writing in his planner and making sure he is productive during sports-related trips.

“When traveling for cross country and track, I bring my laptop and treat the bus and plane rides like an extension of my homework time,” says Pickhardt. “I am able to be productive during travel because I am pulled away from the distractions of campus and can lock myself in a hotel room or hide out in a bus seat and solely focus on completing my school work.”

Pickhardt (middle) uses travel time to focus on academics.

Despite the extra commitment required to be a student-athlete, the consensus is clear — it’s all worth it to be able to follow your passion.

“Being a student-athlete at Linfield means that I am instantly a part of this warm and welcoming ‘family.’” Pickhardt says. “With so many athletes on Linfield’s campus, I feel like I have something in common with someone everywhere I go. Also, the ability to compete with — and against — athletes who are not receiving scholarships or aid makes competition so pure because everyone is doing it solely for the love and passion that sports generate.”

“I like the challenge of balancing all of the responsibilities of being a student-athlete,” says Perrilliat. “It’s hard work, but I wouldn’t sacrifice this life for anything.”